The tour ended on the 8th, and for the next six days we remained in Brigade Support, Annequin, Maison Rouge, and Factory Dug-outs.  Even here we were not left in peace, for on two occasions the enemy opened very heavy bombardments against the Cambrin sector.  The second occasion, the night of the 12th/13th of December, this was so terrific, and so much gas was used, that we had to “stand to” at midnight, while many messages, “Poison Cambrin” etc., were flying about.  The damage to trenches, and more particularly to the tunnels, caused by this bombardment was very great, as we soon learnt when, two nights later, we returned to the line.  Savile tunnel was blown in in several places, and the Company Headquarters completely cut off and unusable.  The tunnel entrances were shattered, and the whole system so badly damaged as to be almost useless except as dug-outs for the various posts.  Quarry tunnel was not so badly damaged, but several of the left posts had been isolated by having the main connecting tunnel blown in behind them.  Fortunately the front line trench on the left was still in existence, and could be used instead of the tunnels.  Finally, Northampton trench was literally obliterated in the centre, and a famous “island” traverse, no small earth-work, so completely wiped out that we could never afterwards discover its exact whereabouts.

Once more we had bad luck at the start of the tour, for we had only been a few hours in the line when a shell on Quarry Alley caught a small party of men coming down.  Signaller Newton and Stretcher Bearer Cooke were killed outright, and Serjeant Woolley, acting Serjeant Signaller while Serjeant Wilbur was away, was wounded and had to go to Hospital.  In addition to the wiring we now had the tunnels to dig out, and there was so much work to do that we had to have assistance from Brigade; this took the form of a Brigade Wiring Platoon and a Company of Monmouthshires.  On one occasion these two parties, both of course working “on top,” saw fit to imagine each other were Boche, and a small fight ensued.  Fortunately no one was injured, though one of the Monmouthshires was only saved from a bullet through the head by his steel helmet.

The rest of the tour passed off quickly, and the irrepressible Capt.  Brooke and 2nd Lieut.  Cole of “D” Company started once more wandering about No Man’s Land and the enemy’s lines.  They did the most incredible things, and gained invaluable information about the enemy, though awkward questions were often asked about the name of the “one other rank” who, according to the patrol reports, accompanied 2nd Lieut.  Cole on these expeditions.